St. Louis Cardinals: Possible September call-ups sitting ready

The St. Louis Cardinals, back in the hunt for October, will have decisions to make in less than two weeks when rosters expand.

The St. Louis Cardinals have countless names who could join the squad when rosters expand in just a few weeks. Depending on the picks, these additions can feel like dramatic trades or can drag the team down by being dead weight.

A few names that the St. Louis Cardinals will have to mull over come in the form of Dexter Fowler, John Brebbia, Adam Wainwright, Yairo Munoz, and Michael Wacha. Will the Cards use expanded roster spots for these names? Will they instead reach into the minors to bring fresh blood? September will answer these questions.

Should the Cardinals welcome back major league talent who might be rehabbing from injury, the team will need to decide the placement of these. Fans already know that the St. Louis Cardinals have plans for Carlos Martinez to return and take a roster spot but doing so in the bullpen rather than the starting rotation. Could the same be true of Waino and Wacha?

Of the names listed above, I would feel comfortable with Brebbia, Munoz, and Wacha returning. I am not comfortable with the St. Louis Cardinals welcoming back Fowler or Wainwright. I would be pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong on these two names, but I’m just not sold.

With all 40 spots of the 40-man roster available, would it make better sense for the St. Louis Cardinals to reach down to Memphis to fill the 40-man spots, or welcome the names above back? Brebbia- listed above- is already on the 40-man roster. Considering this, the following names are taking up roster spots despite sitting on the 60-day DL (this means their spot is easily supplanted):

• Luke Gregerson
• Dominic Leone
• Alex Reyes
• Adam Wainwright

There are names on the 40-man roster who are sitting in Memphis, but there are others who are not on the 40-man who could fill one of these spots. Let’s take a look at the 40-man optional spots.